Railroad-joint



(No Model.) i

s. A. mmm-3Rl RAILROAD JOINT. No. 363,398. Patented May 24, 1887 ju Ey x g 5 dj'zg.. 3. s

y A. 1| www A ivllwlwlwgn "gg fgn 4 A C, Immun!" nlnlllmlllm `IA f 22A bwa/Wto@ W Q/Am/M NiTED STATES PATnN'r trice.

S. ANDRAL KILMER, OF BINGHAMTON, NEW' YORK.

RAILROAD-JOINT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 363,398, dated May 24,` 1887.

Application lcd February 24, 1887. Serial No. 228,754. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, S. ANDRAL KILMER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bing hamton, in the county of Broome and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail1oad-Joiuts; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, `which form a part of this specification.

Figure lis a side View of a rail-joint provided with the invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line .fr m, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional View on line y y, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a side view, the [ish-plates being removed and the rails apart. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the adjustable supporter.

This invention relates to improvements in rail-joints for railroads, and has for its object the production of a support for the meeting ends of two rails.

In the construction of rail-joints a necessary looseness of the rails within the iislrplates must be given, so as to allow for the movement of the rails incident upon variation of temperature. As a consequence of this unavoidable looseness there is more or less vertical play of the ends of the rails; also, in cold weather, especially, there is quite a space between the ends of the rails. As the trainwheels pass over these spaces there is of course a point where the lowest part of the rail coinciding with this space virtually has no support. Thus the wheel jumps from the end of one rail to that of the other. As the ends are loose, the wheel first bears down the nearer end, and then jumping from that one, which springs back, strikes the other one and forces it down. This produces the disagreeable chucking well known to all travelers, and also beats out the ends of the rails. N ow, the present invention, while allowing the needed movement ofthe rails incident to variation ot'- temperature, effectually prevents the pound.- ing and chueking by giving a support to the ends ofthe rails by interlocking them in such a manner that they cannot spring vertically and independent of each other, this invention being an improvement upon similar devices havingl in view the same object.

In the annexed drawings, the letters A A indieate the meeting ends of two rails having the fish-plates B B bolted thereto. In the webs a a of the rails, at the eXtreme ends, are inade the rectangular notches a' c". On the inside faces of the iislrplates B iB, at their middles, are made rectangular recesses b b, of the saine shape and size, each recess having a size equal to that ofthe two notches c' a.

The letter C represents the supporter. This is rectangular in shape and of the size of the recesses b b. Its width isj ust suflicient to allow the {ish-plates to iit the rails snugly when all the parts are in place. The supporter Gis preferably made in two pieces, c c, made by a plane passing obliquely through the supporter, each piece being in cross section a segment of a right-angled triangle. The meeting faces c c of the pieces are preferably roughened. Through the middle ofthe supporter is inade a bore, d, having the countersink d', about onehalf of said bore being in each piece c. Abolt, D, passes through this bore d, its head cl2 resting in the countersink d and its threaded end d protruding from the other side of the supporter, where it receives a springwasher, e, and nut c. Vhen in place, the base orlarger end of each piece c is to protrude somewhat beyond the smaller end of the other piece c, each base bearing against the bottoni of a recess in the lish-plate, as shown in Fig. 2.

One fish-plate B is placed against the end of the rail already down. Then the supporter is placed with the countersunk side into the recess of said plate, the supporter resting in the notch a' of the rail. Then the other fishplate is put into place, receiving the other side of the supporter C into its recess, the bolt D passing through the hole c2. The washer c and nut e are put on. Then the other rail is slipped between the nsh-plates, the recess c coming around the supporter. Then the nut e is irml y screwed on, drawing the two pieces c c closely together and snugly fitting the supporter within the recesses a a. This produces a rm tie between the ends of the two rails,

making one support the other, and also making the fish-plates help to support both. This prevents any independent movement between the ends of the rails and makes a continuous rail the entire length of the road. As any Wear takes place it is taken up by turning the 5 nut e.

A plate, E, may be placed on the inside of the joint, said rplate having a notch, f, which engages the nut e. This plate strengthens the fish-plate at the bolt-hole, and also prevents undesirable turning of the nut e', such plate being movable in its bolt F, so that the nut e may be reached; or, if desirable, this" plate may be bolted down, as shown in Fig. l.

In Fig. 5 is shown a modification. Here the supporter C is made soli-d and rests in the fish-plates and recesses of the rails, but cannot be tightened to accommodate wear; or, if desirable, the supporter may be halved vertically and one half be made with each' fish- 20 plate, as shown in Fig. 7.

Having described my invention, what I claim 1. The fisl1-plates having recesses and the rails having notches, in combination with an adjustable supporter placed in such recesses z5 and notches, as set forth.

2 The adjustable rail-supporter G, consisting of the parts c c aud the bolt passing through them.

3. The adjustable supporter and its bolt D, 3o in combination With the tsh-plates, rails, and the plate E, -as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

s. ANDRAL KILMER.

' Witnesses:

A. KILMER, AW. A. KILMER. 

